Prayer Practice for the Week

Who are you in the story?

Scripture stories often have a number of characters that make up the drama. Who do you identify with by default? Are you the one Jesus is talking to? Are you the one Jesus is healing? What about the bystanders? What about the opposition?

Today, re-read Matthew 21:10-17; only this time imagine you are another character. If you first thought of yourself as Jesus, or a bystander, what would happen if you put yourself in the shoes of the moneychangers, whose livelihood depended on that industry? Or maybe someone who wanted to be cured and couldn't adjust to all the turmoil?

Daily Devotion

Scripture of the Day

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money come, buy wine and milk without money without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which does not satisfy. Eat what is good and delight yourself in rich food. ( Isaiah 55:1-3)

Reflection

There are days when my pockets are empty — if not of cash than of will. I have nothing to give and yet I am hungry. Even then, God does not withhold from me. And I am like a rich man who has won the lotto. If I’m truthful, those vacant moments are often of my own doing. I have spent my energy on fruitless endeavors; I have neglected the tending of my soul that brings forth a bountiful harvest. But, before I am tempted to slip into a depressing cycle of self-recrimination, Isaiah reminds me to eat the good food God provides and be joyful in the full moments when they come. I don’t have to pay the price for my aimlessness with God. With God, I am already, always home.

Prayer

God, you who set the table, cook the meal, and do the dishes: thank you for saving a seat for me. Thank you for feeding me when I am hungry, for filling my cup when I am thirsty, for restoring my faith when I am flagging. Forgive me for the sugary sweet desserts that spoiled my dinner and leave me hyped up and later zonked out. Amen.